Not Too Young to Worry: A 30-Something's Journey to Preventive Health
Rosa, a patient in her thirties, takes a proactive approach to health despite feeling "invincible" like many peers. Motivated by family history and seeing her parents' health decline, she chose a doctor who could help her reduce her risk for chronic illnesses. With her doctor’s help, she implemented dietary and lifestyle changes over 8-10 months. These adjustments resulted in weight loss and normalized health markers, reinforcing her commitment to early intervention for long-term wellness and longevity.
I'm in my thirties. A lot of people in their 30s feel like their health is essentially invincible and the reality is, is that, this is peak time to get ahead of any issues that you could have down the road in your forties, fifties, sixties and seventies. Both my husband I, we have families that have unique health histories and for us we want to live as long as we can and as healthy as we can. Really have good quality of life and this is a big part of it.
I've learned a lot about my health, a lot of things that I didn't know I was predisposed to, and a lot of things that we can, at this point, because my age, get ahead of. It's hard once you start to see your parents kind of going down the road of their health deteriorating, it is really an incentive for you to want to get ahead of preventing anything that you can do ahead of time.
Before I thought I was eating very healthy and living a very healthy lifestyle and she's definitely opened my eyes to the benefits of kind of changing some things dietary. And also just making some lifestyle changes.
So for me, she was able to identify that, just based on my family history, and based on my test results, that I was at a higher risk for heart disease and diabetes. I've always been a very good eater. I've always been very good about my diet and trying to live a healthy lifestyle. But after kind of understanding those results a little bit more, I've definitely made a ton of changes just based on information that she's given me. I've read a lot of books that she's recommended to me and I've changed my diet considerably just in the last 8-10 months. They are small changes that I've implemented, but I think that they've really gone a long way. Not just from the general things like weight loss, but also, my levels have come down considerably, all my levels are now down to normal.
Supporting my patients as they pursue optimal health is my goal! My patients and I can work as a team, and I can act as your coach, advising you of healthier options. You, as my patient, can feel more empowered to execute behaviors to help you reach your goals. As an MDVIP-affiliated physician, I can discuss with you where you are now and apply my experience and our tools to develop an individualized plan to follow as you work to optimize your health. We can continue to evaluate your progress and adjust as needed. I support patients in being proactive rather than reactive, as seems to be prevalent in today’s medicine.
My experience in the military gave me a unique perspective. Surrounded by young healthy service members and traveling to different cultures, I’ve seen what optimal health can be. As a primary care physician with over 20 years’ experience, I have seen cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal psychological and even cancer patients. I believe many issues can respond better to earlier attention; that’s why I find value in the annual Wellness Program, a key aspect of my MDVP affiliation, comprised of screenings that can identify certain risk markers. My practice offers services, including comprehensive, advanced health screening and diagnostics test, that go far beyond those found in concierge medicine practices. I also offer same- or next-day appointments.
I see patients in my South Reno, NV, practice, and patients come from northeast Sparks to Carson City, and Truckee, CA to Winnemucca.